Silent Lucidity
by nekoangel1988
Summary: "Has anyone ever touched you without the intention of hurting you?" Naruto asked watching as Sasuke flinched away from him. Sasuke's once lively eyes were now dull and lifeless. He was a dead kid walking, it was only a matter of time before he tried and most likely succeeded at taking his own life. SASUNARU eventually.
1. Chapter 1

Silent Lucidity

Chapter one

Three years ago

Sasuke Uchiha stared at the phone in his hand, staring at bulky, heavily muscled man bending another man over the couch and thrusting deeply inside of the man underneath him. Sasuke groaned softly and slid his free hand into his shorts, gripping his cock in his hand, twisting and pulling. The sound of the moaning on the phone sending shivers through Sasuke as he rubbed and pulled.

"Neji." Sasuke moaned. "Fuck me harder." Sasuke moaned, imagining that it was Neji thrusting into him with all that he was worth. He didn't care about anything but the pleasure that was starting to build up in his stomach.

"Come on." Sasuke breathed out twisting faster and harder.

"Sasuke Uchiha!" Sasuke's bedroom door was suddenly thrown up just as Sasuke breathed out Neij's name.

"What the hell?" Fugaku Uchiha said as his eyes fell upon the video on Sasuke's phone, and the location of Sasuke's other hand. "What's going on here?"

"Nothing." Sasuke muttered, pulling his hands out of his pants, and dropping it onto the mattress beside him. He grimaced at the sight of cum on his fingers, he couldn't believe his father had just walked in on him fantasizing about another male.

"It doesn't look like nothing to me." Fugaku yelled. "How long have you been a faggot?"

"I'm gay, but I don't like that other word." Sasuke replied quietly.

"You're still a faggot, you were watching gay porn and masturbating while thinking of another male." Fugaku crossed the room and picked Sasuke up by his shirt collar before slamming him into the wall, causing Sasuke's head to slam harshly against the plaster. Sasuke grimaced as pain shot through his head.

"No son of mine is going to like another male!" Fugaku said, before slamming his fist into Sasuke's stomach before dropping Sasuke to the floor and kicking him harshly in the stomach. "If I find you masturbating to anymore gay porn, I'm going to kill you." Fugaku slammed his foot into Sasuke's head again before storming out of the room, leaving a barely conscious Sasuke lying in the floor.

"Sasuke, what the hell did you do to our father?" Itachi stuck his head in the doorway, but when Sasuke didn't answer him, he entered the room to find a bloody Sasuke on the floor. "Sasuke!" Itachi called out again before hurrying over to his little brother's side and kneeling down beside him. Blood was dripping from Sasuke's ears and nose as Itachi gently lifted Sasuke's face. Itachi didn't know what Sasuke had done to deserve this but something told Itachi that their father had crossed a line that he shouldn't have.

"Sasuke?" Itachi asked again, as Sasuke opened his eyes but acted like he didn't hear what Itachi had said, Sasuke grimaced and looked up at his older brother but only saw his brother's lips moving but heard no sound.

"What?" Sasuke mumbled, his speech coming out garbled and confused. His head aching, and not feeling like paying attention to whatever Itachi was trying to say, Sasuke closed his eyes and once again lost consciousness, leaving Itachi to panic as he watched it.

"MOM!" Itachi yelled, Sasuke was going to need to be rushed to the hospital. Itachi didn't know what was going on or how Sasuke had exactly ended up in this condition, but Itachi knew that Sasuke needed to be taken to the hospital.

"What's going?" Mikoto stuck her head through Sasuke's door, her hands flying to her mouth when she was the unconscious Sasuke lying on Itachi's lap.

"What happened?" Mikoto demanded as she rushed over to where Itachi sat on the floor.

"I think father done this." Itachi told her. "I don't know why, but something tells me that Father hurt Sasuke."

"Why would he do something like this to his own child?" Mikoto asked. "It doesn't make sense at all."

"I don't know, but you have to talk to him, see what made him get so upset with Sasuke." Itachi replied. "But first you need to get the paramedics, Sasuke needs help and he needs to come before anything else." Mikoto nodded and reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. Itachi heard her quietly talking to the 911 operator.

"Hang on Sasuke." Itachi said quietly. "Help's on the way and we're going to figure out what's going on."

"Fugaku wouldn't do this, he wouldn't ever lay a hand on either of you guys." Mikoto replied. "He has no reason to hurt either of you."

"Unless Sasuke done something that he doesn't like." Itachi suggested. He didn't know what had happened, but he was more than certain that Fugaku had done this. Clearly, he was more than capable of hurting them, or at least Sasuke anyways. Itachi didn't know what was going on, but he was going to protect his little brother from ending up in this position again. Sasuke was thirteen years old what could he have done that warranted getting beaten like this?

A few minutes later the unconscious Sasuke was being loaded onto a gurney and Itachi was trying to explain what had happened to his cousins Shisui and Obito as they were the paramedics taking care of him.

"I think my father done this to him." Itachi told them watching as Shisui checked Sasuke's pupils for a reaction to the light.

"He probably has a mild concussion at the least." Shisui said. "He's reacting to the light, but he still needs to get checked out. You don't want to mess around with head injuries."

"I agree." Itachi nodded. "I don't want to take any risks with his health."

"Where is Fugaku? He should be here explaining how Sasuke ended up like this. It isn't your place to tell us what happened?" Obito asked Itachi, who shrugged.

"He left a few minutes ago. I have no idea where he went or when he'll be back." Itachi replied.

"Fugaku couldn't have done this to Sasuke." Mikoto denied. "I don't know why Itachi has that idea in his head."

"Then why isn't he here?" Obito asked, frowning at his aunt. He didn't like thinking of the idea that his Uncle could hurt his own kid like this, but here was the evidence.

"He had an emergency at work." Mikoto said. "He's not going to be back until later."

"I would have him meet you at the hospital them." Shisui told her. "I doubt he'll be released tonight."

"We'll be there." Mikoto said shutting the door behind the paramedics as they loaded Sasuke into the ambulance.

"What the hell." Itachi said. "How are you going to deny that your husband beat Sasuke like that? Without a good reason?"

"There was probably a reason that you don't know about." Mikoto said walking over to the bed and picking up the phone. Glancing down at the screen, she saw that it was froze on a man driving himself into another younger man.

"What reason is good enough to beat someone unconscious?" Itachi asked, growing more pissed by the moment. He didn't care what they thought, Sasuke hadn't deserved that beating.

"Maybe because your father walked in on him watching gay porn?" Mikoto suggested and held up the phone for Itachi to see.

"So what? He's a kid, he's going to look at things that he shouldn't be looking at?" Itachi replied.

"Gay porn though?" Mikoto said. "If word of this gets out, Fugaku's reputation is going to be ruined. Homosexuals are not looked upon with any kind of respect. Your father isn't going to take having a faggot for a son very lightly."

"Even if Sasuke is gay, father shouldn't have beat him like this, he could have caused Sasuke some serious internal injuries? We could still lose Sasuke?"

"Sasuke should know better than to like someone of the same sex, he's going to ruin his father's reputation." Mikoto replied.

"Never mind that father beating his own son isn't going to ruin his own reputation." Itachi replied. "That shouldn't even matter, Sasuke should come before anything but your just about as heartless as father is, if you can't accept Sasuke for who he is."

"Being gay is unnatural." Mikoto replied. "And would end up being very dangerous to Fugaku's reputation."

"Does anyone care about what it would do to Sasuke to hide who he really is. Just so that our father's reputation can be protected?" Itachi asked, for the first time in his life he hated his father's career in politics. It wasn't right that Sasuke was going to be forced to keep hiding who he really was just to protect his father.

"Maybe he should try to be normal and then he wouldn't have to worry about hiding who he is." Mikoto replied.

"That's not fair to Sasuke." Itachi replied. "I'm starting to wonder how much you really care about him, if you want him to hide who he really is. By the way" Itachi turned and headed down the hall, he was going to find out what was going on with Sasuke. He cared about his brother no matter what his parents thought, he didn't want to see Sasuke do something dramatic like end his own life because his parents couldn't be accepting of him. Itachi would never forgive his parents if something happened to Sasuke because they were too busy considering themselves to be too important.

Exiting the house, Itachi headed for the sidewalk, he was grateful that they only lived about five minutes from Konoha General. Because right about now, he didn't want to be stuck in a car with his mother right about then.

"Just hang on Sasuke." Itachi muttered. "I still care about what happens to you, no matter what your parents think." Things were probably going to get harder for Sasuke in the long run, but he would still have some support in Itachi. Sasuke wouldn't be going through the hell alone. Itachi would always be there for Sasuke no matter what the kid was through.

Reaching the hospital, Itachi headed straight for the information desk.

"Sasuke Uchiha was brought in by ambulance." Itachi told the red-haired woman sitting behind the desk.

"Are you related to him?" Rin asked and Itachi nodded.

"He's my little brother." Itachi replied.

"I don't think the doctor has finished with him yet." The woman replied. "If you don't mind waiting out in the waiting room, we'll come and get you whenever we know something." Itachi nodded and headed towards the waiting room.

Sitting down in the waiting room, Itachi stared down at his hands, his fingers were stained with drops of blood, and he wondered why his father had to take things so far with Sasuke. So, what if Sasuke was gay and masturbating over gay porn, that was Sasuke's business and no one else's. Sasuke hadn't deserved to be beaten for it. Itachi's heart bled for Sasuke because he knew that being gay wasn't going to be easy for the teenager, their parents would never accept him for who he was, which meant that Sasuke was in for a lonely and painful childhood. Itachi would do whatever he could to make it better, but he wasn't always going to be home to protect Sasuke. Itachi had a job that he worked right after school, which meant that Fugaku would have plenty of time to do whatever the hell he wanted with Sasuke. Itachi worried that Fugaku would end up killing him. Sasuke deserved better than that, he deserved someone that was going to love and support him no matter what. Itachi just hoped that Sasuke would be able to find a partner that didn't give a damn what other people thought.

"Itachi Uchiha, what are you doing here?" Itachi looked up to find the red-haired Kurama Uzumaki standing in front of him, in his green volunteer scrubs. Kurama was classmates with Itachi, and he had a little brother who was constantly in trouble. Last time Itachi had heard, Kurama's little brother Naruto had ended up in Juvie, which is where he was currently residing.

"My little brother had an unfortunate accident and ended up here." Itachi replied. "What are you doing here?"

"Besides the fact that I volunteer here after school every day, Naruto had a run in with somebody in the detention center. It seems his smart-ass mouth earned him some broken ribs and a broken jaw." Kurama replied. Itachi frowned, Naruto had been a good kid until a few months when he started getting into fights and staying out at all hours of the night.

"What happened to him?" Itachi wondered. "He was always such a good kid, a little hyper maybe but a good kid."

"There's more going on than you realize." Kurama replied quietly. "More going on than father can handle."

"And can you handle whatever is going on?" Itachi asked, Kurama shrugged.

"I would do anything if it meant that my little brother wasn't suffering anymore." Kurama replied. "He shouldn't have to be dealing with this kind of crap either and it's kind of our father's fault, but he's too busy to give a damn. Which means he's lost complete control over the situation."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Itachi asked, Kurama was his friend and he would do anything to ensure that Kurama got through the situation without losing his sanity."

"Just hope that my little brother can get through his pain without causing too much damage to everyone else." Kurama replied. "But I fear it's too late for that, Naruto's hurting so much, and he has the ability to recognize what he's doing as harmful to others."

"What happened to him to make him end up this way? Why did he change all of a sudden?" Itachi asked, because none of what Kurama was saying sounded like the Naruto that he knew.

"I can't say anything about that right now." Kurama replied. "Let's just say that father is ashamed of it happening, and that shame has only served to cause Naruto more damage. What happened to Sasuke?"

"Our father beat the shit out of him." Itachi replied, and Kurama's mouth dropped. Fugaku Uchiha loved his boy's Kurama didn't think the man would ever lay his hand on either of his son's.

"Why would he do something like that?" Kurama asked. "I doubt Sasuke could do anything to deserve it."

"Dad walked in on Sasuke masturbating to gay porn and calling out a classmate's name." Itachi replied, looking down at the floor so that he wouldn't see the disgust on Kurama's face.

"And that's why neither of your parents are here, because your mother doesn't think it's possible for your father to have done such thing, and because she thinks that being gay is disgusting?" Kurama asked, his heart going out to his friend. He thought Naruto's journey was a long and painful one, it didn't compare to what Sasuke would be dealing with for the rest of his life, especially if his parents never came to accept him for who he is.

"Yeah, that's exactly why." Itachi replied. "My heart bleeds because I doubt Sasuke is ever going to find acceptance from our parents."

"And sometimes acceptance and the knowledge that things are going to be okay is all that they want and can go a long way towards making them feel better." Kurama said quietly. "To not have that kind of comfort, I fear will only push them to make a more permanent decision."

"I won't let that happen with Sasuke." Itachi said. "I can't, I can't lose my little brother."

"Sometimes our roles as big brothers aren't good enough." Kurama replied. "They need their parents to step up to the plate and be there for them. Nothing we can say or do can change the fact that they need their parents more when they are dealing with something traumatic."

"You are wise beyond your years." Itachi said.

"Sadly, I'm still learning that lesson." Kurama replied. "But I have to believe that things are going to be okay in the end. I can't think about what will happen otherwise, it's too painful."

"I'm sorry that you're having to deal with this." Itachi said. "Being the oldest and stuck in the middle probably isn't the easiest situation."

"You know your parents will probably question your sexuality because of Sasuke." Kurama said. "They'll want to know for sure that at least one of their kids is straight,"

"I know." Itachi said. "But if it gets their attention off of Sasuke for even a second, I'll be glad to do it. You should have seen him, bloody and unconscious on the floor. How can I not hate father for what he done? Even if Sasuke is gay, so what? He didn't deserve to be beaten like that."

"Maybe the situation isn't as bad as you think?" Kurama said. "Maybe he was just curious about how things work between two guys?"

"Why would he masturbate to it?" Itachi asked. "No, I think he's carried this secret for some time because he suspected that father would try something like this if he ever told him."

"Maybe, in that case he's a stronger kid than anyone is giving him credit for." Kurama said. "He's still going to need your support, but he'll be able to handle anything that is dished his way." Itachi nodded, he dreaded Sasuke returning home to face their father's wrath. Fugaku could end up killing Sasuke out of anger without even realizing what he was doing. Itachi didn't want to risk that happening.

"He's going to be okay, I bet he'll deal with this mess better than Naruto is doing with his own situation." Kurama said. "The worst thing about it is watching them suffer and not being able to help them in any way."

A few minutes later a blonde-haired doctor was spotted coming towards Itachi.

"Are you hear for Sasuke Uchiha?" She asked and Itachi nodded and she frowned.

"Where's your parents?" She asked, she would rather inform the parents of what was going on, not the brother.

"They won't be here; they're stuck so far up their own ass that they don't care about what's going on with Sasuke." Itachi replied, struggling to keep the anger out of his voice. "What's going on with my brother?"

In that case, I'm Tsunade, I'm in charge of Sasuke's care. He's going to be okay; he has a mild concussion and a broken nose." Tsunade replied. "He's going to need to get some rest before he goes back to school, he'll probably experience some headaches until he heals from the concussion."

"But he shouldn't have any complications?" Itachi asked. "Like internal bleeding or anything like that?" Tsunade shook her head.

"No, he shouldn't it would be extremely rare for something to go wrong at this point. As long as you wake him up every few hours or so, he should be fine."

"Is he going to need to stay here?" Itachi asked. He wasn't sure that he wanted Sasuke to go home just yet, he didn't want Sasuke to have to face a politician who thought he was above the law and didn't care about his youngest son suffering."

"It will be best that he stays here tonight." Tsunade replied. "It should be okay for you to join him now if you would like." Itachi nodded. He wouldn't abandon Sasuke so easily.

"I'm going to call your parents and let them know what's going on." Tsunade said and Itachi nodded. He didn't give a damn what they thought, Sasuke deserved better than them right now.

Thanks for reading and reviewing! It will be future SasuNaru


	2. Chapter 2

Silent Lucidity

Chapter 2

Itachi stared down at his hands, he really hoped that Sasuke wouldn't take his own life. But considering the fact that neither of his parents were even here waiting to hear about Sasuke's condition told Itachi all that he needed to know. They hated him, for something that wasn't even in his control, and Itachi couldn't help but hate them for it. Sasuke's life was going to be much harder because of them and it only made Itachi hated deeply.

Sighing, Itachi looked up when he heard footsteps coming towards him, he really wanted to know what was going on with his brother. He was tired of waiting, but he supposed the longer that he went without any news the better of he would be. As was often said, no news was good news.

"Sasuke Uchiha?" A blonde-haired doctor asked, and Itachi stood up, and the doctor headed towards him.

"I'm Tsunade, Sasuke's doctor." The woman introduced herself. "And you look pretty young to be Sasuke's parent."

"That's because I'm his brother Itachi." Itachi replied. "Our parents aren't going to be here tonight."

"Why not?" Tsunade asked. "Considering Sasuke's situation, he's going to need his parents."

"Because our parents are angry at him right now." Itachi replied, wondering if he should even tell the doctor that the reason Sasuke was here was because of his father. Something told Itachi that that wouldn't go over very well with the doctor in front of him. Itachi just hoped that he wouldn't end up in this position again because his father decided that it was a good idea to beat the shit out of Sasuke again. Itachi didn't want his brother to end up in foster care because their father couldn't keep his hands to himself. Tsunade shook her head, she'd seen cases like this before where the parents didn't show up with the child. It was usually because the parents were abusive and didn't want to get caught. She seriously hoped that that wasn't the situation with the young Uchiha because Tsunade would have CPS on the phone as quickly as possible.

"I know what you're thinking." Itachi said. "But that's not the case, our father and mother are just busy with work, which is why they had me bring him in. The fact that they aren't here right now, isn't important, I want to know how my brother is doing." Tsunade frowned.

"He's got a serious concussion, and when I done a head scan there were signs of bleeding on his brain. It was big enough to require surgery to repair but not big enough to be life threatening." Tsunade said. "That's the most serious injury that you have to worry about, he's got some minor bruising but it's not anything to be concerned about. I want to know how he ended up in this position."

"He's a teenager." Itachi replied. "He went out riding his bike and crashed his bike. He was unconscious when I found him." Itachi lied, he really hoped that Tsunade wouldn't look deeper into the situation, the last thing Itachi needed was for someone to take Sasuke away to a place where Itachi couldn't keep an eye on him and protect him.

"I don't know if I believe that." Tsunade said. "Because his injuries aren't consistent with that of a bike accident. So why don't you tell me what really happened to him?"

"I know what you're thinking." Itachi said quietly. "But I can't say anything about what really happened, because I don't want Sasuke to end up in a place where I can't keep an eye on him. He's my little brother and I will do everything in my power to keep him safe." Tsunade sighed, she wasn't sure what to think but the kid in front of her was so sincere that she could hear the love that he held for his little brother.

"But if he's being abused, doesn't he deserve for that to come to an end?" Tsunade asked. "Doesn't he deserve to see those that hurt him pay the price for doing that?"

"This doesn't happen all this time." Itachi said. "In fact, it's the only time that I've ever heard about it happening."

"If it happens again, I won't have any choice but to remove him from your home." Tsunade replied. "And I can't guarantee that he'll be placed anywhere near you. So, you better do your job and protect him."

"Of course, I will." Itachi replied. "This wouldn't have happened at all if I'd been home at the time."

"Something tells me that your brother is going to angry over the things that have happened." Tsunade replied. "My grandson is a very angry person and as much as I want to give him his space, I know that eventually he's going to need someone to talk to about whatever is hurting him."

"You're talking about Naruto?" Itachi asked quietly, he'd heard of Tsunade and he knew that Kurama had gotten his volunteer position at the hospital because of her. She nodded.

"That boy deserves the best that life has to offer, instead he's dealing with his own personal hell." Tsunade replied. "I would do anything I could to change that, even if it means that Naruto ended up in foster care."

"Being away from Kurama wouldn't have done him any good." Itachi said. "No matter what's going on in his life, Naruto adores Kurama."

"True enough, but if someone had looked into what had been happening to Naruto sooner, maybe Naruto wouldn't be where he is now." Tsunade said, scowling.

"Damn Minato and Kushina for being too damn busy to realize that something was wrong with Naruto before it came to this. I know you love your brother, but don't you think it would be better for Sasuke to end up somewhere where he is loved? You don't want him to end like Naruto? Angry and bitter. The way Naruto is going right now, he's either going to get himself killed or he's going to end up in prison. I don't want to see that happen to him; he was always a good kid. And I'm sure that you don't want anything to happen to Sasuke."

"I won't let Sasuke end up in that position." Itachi replied. "I don't know what happened to Naruto, but I'll be there for Sasuke, he won't be left alone."

"I hope not." Tsunade replied. "I hope Sasuke doesn't go through the hell that Naruto's been forced to go through. If I can save another kid from being put through hell, I will do whatever it takes, even if it means separating him from the only ones that love him."

"I understand." Itachi said quietly. "Can I see him now?"

"He's likely being moved into recovery." Tsunade replied. "It'll probably be a few minutes to get him settled. I'll have one of my nurses come and get you when he's ready." Itachi nodded and sat back down. He really hoped that Sasuke was going to be able to pull through this, without too much trauma being caused. If Sasuke was traumatized and terrified of their father, there was going to be hell to pay. Sasuke shouldn't have to be afraid for his life in his own home. Itachi was going to make damn sure that Sasuke was going to be okay. He wasn't going to allow Sasuke to end up in the same position as Naruto.

Itachi would do everything in his power to make sure that Sasuke ended up happy, he didn't care what he had to sacrifice himself. He didn't want to see Sasuke go down the same troubled road that Naruto was traveling down.

"I'll keep Sasuke from going down the same road that Naruto is currently on." Itachi said. "I won't have him end up in jail."

"It's not your brother that I'm worried about getting into trouble." Tsunade replied. "Something tells me that your father and your mother need to be locked up, if Sasuke ends up in the ER again, I'll do what I need to do to make that happen."

"Neither of them has ever hurt Sasuke until now." Itachi said. "And my mother certainly didn't have anything to do with it. My father overreacted, not that that makes it right, because it doesn't. But normally, he wouldn't lay a hand on Sasuke either."

"I believe you." Tsunade said quietly. "But something tells me that it's not very hard to make your father overreact, I just want to keep Sasuke from becoming like Naruto. If someone had tried to make Naruto talk about what and whom was hurting him, maybe we wouldn't be where we are with him right now."

"It's not too late to make Naruto talk." Itachi said quietly. "And I doubt it's too late to make the person that hurt him, pay for what they done."

"Naruto won't say anything, he won't even give us a clue about who it is." Tsunade said. "So, I don't hold on to too much hope of him giving up his secrets."

"Is he trying to protect the one that hurt him?" Itachi wondered. "Because that's the only thing staying silent is doing. It's not helping his case in any way."

"I think he's been hurt so bad, that he wants to protect those he loves from knowing about the pain that he went through." Tsunade said. "I've tried telling Minato that maybe Naruto needs some therapy, but he won't have it. He won't have something like that blemish his families name."

"Yet, he'll want Naruto to go around getting in trouble all of the time?" Itachi wondered. "Clearly, he hasn't thought about that very much. Naruto's getting into trouble all the time will earn his family a bad reputation."

"I tried telling that to him, but he's being a stubborn jackass." Tsunade replied. "Which is where Naruto gets it from, I guess."

"Maybe," Itachi said thoughtfully. He hated that Naruto felt like he couldn't tell anyone about what he was going through. If he could trust someone enough, felt like they wouldn't judge him for what he went through, maybe he wouldn't be reacting the way he is right now.

"I'll make Sasuke talk to me." Itachi murmured. "I don't care what I have to do, he's not going to be keeping anything to himself."

"I hope you can make him understand the importance of talking about it, I'm sure he's probably traumatized because it was the last thing, he expected anyone to do." Tsunade said quietly, turning her head when she heard footsteps coming towards them.

"It looks like they have him in a room, you can go and see him now." Tsunade told Itachi. Itachi nodded and turned and followed the nurse down the hall. He wasn't going to forget about the things that he'd discussed with Tsunade, but he wasn't going to be willing to just hand Sasuke over to the foster care system either, where it would give someone else free reign to hurt Sasuke. Itachi was going to protect Sasuke at all costs, even if it meant that Sasuke had to live under the same roof with the one that had hurt him.

Entering Sasuke's room, Itachi walked over to Sasuke's bed. Sasuke lay still with his eyes closed and his head wrapped in a bandage. Itachi grimaced, he knew that Sasuke hadn't been too badly hurt but that didn't mean that he liked seeing his little brother in the hospital. Itachi was going to make sure that his father didn't get the opportunity to put Sasuke here again, or Itachi would ensure that his politician father would end up in jail, regardless of what it done to the man's career. Sasuke deserved to live in a home where he could be free from getting hurt.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, maybe if I had been there, this wouldn't have happened." Itachi murmured, reaching out and touching Sasuke's arm. He hated how pale his little brother was, but he figured that was because of the pain that he was in due to the concussion.

Feeling the touch on his arm, Sasuke opened his eyes and turned his head towards Itachi. Sasuke frowned as he watched Itachi's mouth move, but he heard no sound. What exactly was going on? Why couldn't he hear whatever his brother was trying to say?

Itachi saw the puzzled expression on Sasuke's face as Itachi quietly spoke.

"What's wrong?" Itachi asked, but got no response, leaving Itachi feeling just as confused as Sasuke looked. It appeared that for whatever reason that Sasuke couldn't even hear him, if this was a permeant injury, Itachi was going to kill their father.

"I'll be back." Itachi mouthed. "I'm going to find out what's going on." Sasuke nodded, he wanted to know why he couldn't hear his brother talking. He just hoped that whatever was going on, it wouldn't be permanent, he didn't know how he would be able to survive if he couldn't even hear when his father was coming after him. Because it was clear to Sasuke, now that Fugaku Uchiha knew that Sasuke was indeed a homosexual, he wouldn't leave Sasuke alone. Sasuke doubted this would be the only beating that he got.

Leaving the room, Itachi headed down the hall where he found Tsunade standing with an angry blonde-haired teenager, whose jaw looked like it had been wired shut. Itachi wondered how the kid was still able to express his anger without saying anything. Itachi stopped a few feet away, allowing Tsunade to finish whatever speech she'd been giving Naruto, who threw his hands up in the air and followed the police officers back down the hall a few short minutes later.

"I don't know what's going to happen to that kid." Tsunade said, and Itachi could see how much she was hurting just by looking in her eyes. She clearly cared about what Naruto was going through, and the teen was being too stubborn to tell her what was going on.

"He'll have to find a way to deal with his pain, or he's going to drown." Itachi replied. "and by drown, I mean that he'll likely end up taking his own life."

"I can't let that happen." Tsunade murmured. "I can't let his life end on a tragedy. Are you done visiting your brother already?"

"No. There's a problem with him." Itachi replied. Tsunade frowned at him.

"What's that?" Tsunade asked.

"He can't hear a word that I'm saying, and I'm wondering if that's a permanent side effect or if it's temporary." Itachi replied.

"Damn." Tsunade murmured. "If he hit his head hard enough, chances are that it's likely permanent, but I'll come look him over." Though she doubted she would have good news, if Sasuke hadn't regained his hearing by now chances were that he wasn't going to regain the ability at all. Which meant that Sasuke was going to be living in a world of hell.

Tsunade followed him back down the hall and headed into Sasuke's room. Sasuke was staring blankly up at the ceiling, lost in his own thoughts. Crossing the room, Itachi reached out and gently placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, so as not to startle him.

Sasuke turned his head towards Itachi and Tsunade, who had Sasuke's chart in her hand. She frowned, before looking back up at Sasuke, she leaned over and snapped her fingers right at Sasuke's left ear, and when he gave her no response, she repeated the gesture with the other ear, still Sasuke gave no response to her.

"Looks like it's complete hearing loss." Tsunade said quietly. "Sometimes the hearing comes back after some time, but in Sasuke's case and the severity of the head injury, I'm not entirely sure that it will come back at all." Itachi frowned, if Sasuke was now deaf, how would he be able to protect himself from their asshole father? Itachi was going to have to make sure that he either took Sasuke with him when he went places, or that he stayed with Sasuke whenever possible. He wasn't going to allow Sasuke to be hurt any more than he already had been.

"He's never going to be alone again as long as I'm around." Itachi murmured. "I'm going to protect him, no matter what."

"Sadly, that shouldn't be your job, it should be your parents." Tsunade said. "I wish I had better news for you."

"It is what it is, I'll help Sasuke get through this." Itachi said. He didn't care what he had to do; his little brother was going to feel safe in his own home. Tsunade nodded and left a few minutes later. Itachi reached out and grabbed Sasuke's hand, squeezing it tightly, he didn't want Sasuke feeling like he was alone right now.

"I'm sorry, little brother." Itachi murmured when Sasuke turned his tearful gaze towards him. "But I'm not leaving you, you won't have to face any of this alone, I can promise you that!" Sasuke nodded, and closed his eyes, but not before Itachi saw the tears drop from Sasuke's eyes and trail down his face. Itachi's heart broke knowing that his little brother would be dealing with a kind of hell that no one could truly help him with, but that didn't mean that Itachi wouldn't try. Sasuke deserved the best that life had to offer, Itachi was going to make sure that he got it. Sasuke wouldn't end up being a troublemaker out on the streets like Naruto. Naruto was going to end up killing himself or someone else because of the pain that he was dealing with, Itachi wasn't going to let that happen for Sasuke.

"When can he come home?" a harsh voice asked from the doorway, and Itachi turned away from the sleeping Sasuke to find his father and mother standing in the doorway.

"He has a severe head injury, that he had to have surgery for." Itachi replied. "So, it's probably going to be a few days. By the way, he's now completely deaf because you overreacted and were an asshole towards him." Itachi was pissed, he wanted to beat the hell out of his own father for what he'd done to Sasuke.

"Maybe if he wasn't gay, I wouldn't have had to do that." Fugaku replied harshly. "He should know that being gay is a disgrace and it dishonors the family."

"So, does beating the hell out of him." Itachi said. "To me that's a bigger disgrace than being gay is. He can't help the way he is."

"Being gay is unnatural." Mikoto said quietly. "I'm sorry that he's been hurt, but he brought it on himself. His father believes that beating him may straighten him out." Itachi shook his head, unable to believe the words that were coming from his mother's mouth.

"You would rather your son be so unhappy about himself that he would kill himself just so can you keep up with the farce of being a happy, normal family? Do you even know how difficult staying in the closet would be for Sasuke? Not to mention that it's grossly unfair."

"He should have thought about that before he became gay." Fugaku replied.

"Are you not even listening to me?" Itachi asked. "Being gay wasn't just something that he decided he would try out? It's just something that he is, just like your just an asshole, now there's a decision that you have a choice over. Sasuke has no choice over who he is."

"Itachi I know that you don't understand your father's position." Mikoto said quietly. "And I know that you're just trying to protect Sasuke, but maybe it would be best if he didn't come home again." Itachi frowned, just what was his mother trying to say?

"What do you mean by that?" Itachi asked, his eyes narrowed on her. "Do you mean like putting him up for adoption?"

"I mean perhaps it would be better to have him euthanized." Mikoto replied. "So that no other family would have to suffer such dishonor by having him in their home."

"Dear Kami." Itachi breathed, staring at his mother like she had gone nuts. She couldn't really believe that having Sasuke put to sleep like a dog was the right decision to make. "how the hell can that choice be the only that you have? Sasuke deserves to live!" Itachi was going to take his brother and disappear if she kept talking, he wouldn't let them kill Sasuke just because they were ashamed that he was gay.

"You don't have a say in the matter." Fugaku said coldly, as a doctor that Itachi didn't recognize entered the room. "It's what's going to happen, and then he's going to be buried in an unmarked grave so that no one will remember what a disaster he was."

"You're committing murder." Itachi seethed, disgusted by what his parents were doing. "I won't let you touch him." Itachi blocked the doctor from reaching Sasuke's IV line.

"Is it murder if he's a faggot?" Fugaku asked, and Itachi shook his head. He was beyond pissed. He didn't know what had happened to make his family think like this, but he was disgusted.

"Your acting like he's not even a person with feelings!" Itachi said. "You're not taking anything into consideration except for your own feelings? Never mind that Sasuke has his own."

"Get out of the way Itachi." Fugaku said as he stepped forward. "I don't want to hurt you, but I can't allow that faggot to live."

"He's more than that, he's a human being who deserves to live!" Itachi protested, Fugaku reaching out and grabbing Itachi by the throat and slamming into the wall, allowing the doctor to inject the medicine into Sasuke's IV.

"You can't just erase his presence." Itachi said with tears in his eyes, hatred filling him for his father and his mother. "There will always be signs of him around the house."

"Signs that can easily be destroyed." Fugaku replied. "It won't be hard to erase him from the family records."

"I hope you both burn in hell for what you're doing to him!" Itachi said as his father released him. Itachi went straight to Sasuke's bed, if this was going to happen. Itachi was going to make sure that Sasuke wasn't alone for it. Afterwards, Itachi would end his own life, because he didn't want to be in a world where his little brother didn't exist.

"Kami, I hate you." Itachi seethed with tears in his eyes. "I really hope you burn in hell for what you just done."

Once everyone left the room, Itachi gently pushed Sasuke over onto his side and climbed into the bed behind him. Tears rolled down Itachi's cheeks as he pulled Sasuke back against his chest. He couldn't believe that his parents thought that Sasuke would be better off dead because he was gay. To make matters worse they wanted him buried in an unmarked grave so that his life could so easily be forgotten. Itachi's heart so bad that he wondered if he would haven't even have the time to end his own life. His broken heart would end up killing him faster than any suicide plot ever could.

"I'm sorry they're such heartless bastards." Itachi whispered against the back of Sasuke's head. "I tried to make them understand that you can't help who you are, and it's unfair of them to expect you to be any different. They only care about how it's going to make them look." Itachi pulled Sasuke closer, he could feel his brother start to pant and knew that the drug wasn't going to take Sasuke peacefully, it was going to be pained.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, that I couldn't keep this from happening, you deserved better than this." Itachi said, his tears dropping from his eyes and falling onto Sasuke's head.

"You done what you could." Sasuke said, his voice sounding gruffer to Itachi's ears. "It's not your fault, and maybe I'll be better off." Turning on the bed, so that he could face Itachi and read his brother's lips.

"You don't deserve to die for being gay." Itachi bit off. "You should be allowed to live a full life."

"I won't have to suffer anymore." Sasuke murmured. "We both know that father's beatings won't stop, he would have eventually killed me anyways. At least the way it'll be mostly pain free." But even as he spoke, he could feel his chest tightening, constricting to the point that he could barely breathe. He didn't want to die like this, didn't want Itachi to suffer and grieve for him, but since he had no choice in the matter, he would gladly go and be rid of his parents. "Just promise me that you'll live your life to the fullest."

"I don't intend to live much longer than you." Itachi said. "You're not going on this journey alone."

"You deserve to live." Sasuke said, saddened that his brother thought that his was his only option. "You shouldn't have to end your own life because of me, father should have an heir after all."

"After what they just decided to do to you," Itachi said. "They deserve to have their family line come to an end."

"I love you Itachi." Sasuke said, he could feel the pull of unconsciousness, and he feared what would be found in the darkness. "I'm scared."

"Don't be." Itachi murmured, leaning forward and pressing his lips to Sasuke's forehead. "Because I'm with you, you're not going to die alone."

"Why couldn't they just accept me for who I was?" Sasuke asked. "Why couldn't they just love me?"

"Because they don't have the heart to love anyone but themselves." Itachi said, pulling away far enough so that Sasuke could read his lips, he hated that his brother was feeling like this, nothing Itachi said or done was going to change how Sasuke was feeling. Soon enough though it wasn't going to matter because Sasuke's beautiful heart was going to stop beating. The world wouldn't know the kind person that Sasuke was, Itachi was determined that despite his parent's efforts, Sasuke was going to be remembered.

"I love you Itachi." Sasuke murmured closing his eyes and growing tired.

"I love you too." Itachi murmured as he pulled Sasuke closer as he lost consciousness, Itachi lay his head over Sasuke's heart, listening to the heartbeat until it came to a stop. It didn't take long, and the moment it stopped, Itachi pulled the limp body tighter against him, as sobs tore through him.

"Itachi!" A gentle voice broke through his pained cries.

"My little brother is gone, leave me alone!" Itachi said mournfully. He wanted to die right then so his little brother wouldn't be alone. Sasuke had deserved better than this.


	3. Chapter 3

Silent Lucidity

Chapter 3

"It's not what it looks like." Tsunade said gently, her heart breaking for the older teen.

"How can it not be what it looks like?" Itachi raising his tear stained face to look up at the doctor. "His heart's not beating, he's not breathing, he's dead."

"No, he's not, he was given a drug that would slow his heart and his breathing to make it look like he was gone." Tsunade said gently. "The doctor didn't agree with what they were doing. But he didn't have any other choice, he would have been sued and his family would have ended up on the streets. I can promise you that Sasuke is very much alive, he's just in a deep sleep. You should have enough time to find somewhere to go with him, although if you have trouble you both can stay with me until you do find a place to live."

"You're not worried about what my father will do, when he finds out that Sasuke is still alive?" Itachi asked, grateful that the doctors had found a way around his father's orders. But he was certain that Fugaku Uchiha would eventually find out that Sasuke was alive, because Itachi would stay in Konoha with him. Sasuke deserved to be with his friends, even if there was now a communications barrier between them. Itachi knew that Sasuke would find a way to communicate with him.

"Something tells me that your mother and father are going to be getting into trouble for planning on having Sasuke murdered." Tsunade replied.

"Father will probably try to buy his way out of it." Itachi said bitterly. "Being that he's a major politician."

"He won't be able to get out of it this time." Tsunade replied. "Not even your father can get by with murder."

"I hope not." Itachi said quietly. "Sasuke didn't deserve this, he deserves to be able to be happy no matter whether he's gay or straight."

"I agree your brother's sexual orientation shouldn't matter. It's a shame that he can't be accepted for who he is."

"What if they demand proof of Sasuke's death?" Itachi asked suddenly. "I know my father; he may not believe that Sasuke is gone."

"That's why he was given that particular drug." Tsunade replied. "He's going to be in a very deep sleep for the next several hours. We'll move him to the morgue for a little while, until Fugaku decides to come and get proof of Sasuke's death. When he does that, we'll get him for attempted murder."

"What about mother?" Itachi asked. "She was complicit in planning Sasuke's death."

"They'll get her after they get your father." Tsunade replied.

"How did you know what they were going to do?" Itachi asked, looking over at Sasuke's pale face. It still hurt to think that things had to be taken this far because they couldn't accept Sasuke for who he was.

"Dr. Grey heard Fugaku and Mikoto discussing their best options before he was approached by Fugaku with the demand to euthanize Sasuke." Tsunade replied. "Dr. Grey came to me for the drug to make it look like Sasuke's heart had stopped."

"I'm glad that you were able to come up with something to make it look like he was gone, because I don't know that I could survive without my little brother." Itachi said.

"I couldn't let them hurt an innocent child, especially being that Sasuke is now completely deaf." Tsunade said. "I know you may not think so, but jail is the best place for your parents."

"After their willingness to let Sasuke die, they can rot in hell for all I care." Itachi replied. "Sasuke didn't deserve any of this."

"I agree he didn't, but he can grow up and be stronger for having gone through this." Tsunade replied.

"He shouldn't have been put through this at all, even if our parents didn't approve." Itachi said. "They could have just dealt with it. It wasn't like Sasuke wouldn't suffer for his choices anyways. We all know how many people feel about people that are gay."

"In this time and age, people need to be more accepting of those that are different." Tsunade said.

"I don't see that happening." Itachi said. "People don't think about how much they make other people suffer,

"You can help make his better though, by letting him know that he doesn't have to face any of this alone." Tsunade said gently. "You can be there when Sasuke needs to release the pain that he's feeling. You can do more for Sasuke than any of us were able to do for Naruto."

"Maybe one day, you can convince Naruto to tell you what went down with him." Itachi said.

"I think it's getting too late to that point." Tsunade said. "His pain is too deeply ingrained, and he refuses to tell anyone. He's going to push everyone away until he's completely alone, and then something is going to happen to make him take his own life, or end someone else's."

"Maybe it doesn't have to get to that point." Itachi said. "Maybe if you let him know that your there for him, and not willing to leave him alone, he'll eventually start to trust that you're not going to hurt him."

"I don't think he's ever going to trust anyone again." Tsunade said. "Something tells me that he's been hurt too badly, and too deeply to ever trust anyone again. Maybe if Minato had tried to get him help before now none of this would have happened. It's just a shame that Minato only cares about his families reputation and not the well-being of his own children."

"Clearly my father is the same way, he just tried to have his own son murdered because he didn't like that he was gay, and he feared that his reputation would be in ruins." Itachi murmured, watching as another nurse came in and started towards the bed.

"We're going to take him to the morgue now." Tsunade said quietly, "after a couple of hours and then we'll have him moved to my home. I highly doubt at this point that Fugaku will even want a funeral." Itachi nodded, he hated that things were happening like this, but he had to keep Sasuke safe, even if he had to be separated from him for a couple of hours. Itachi figured he should go home and grab some of his things, but he really didn't want to face his parents again, not after what they were so willing to do to Sasuke. Itachi wasn't going to pretend that everything was okay, that their decision to kill Sasuke was okay. He really hoped that the media got a hold of the news and spread it around. He wanted to see his father's reputation in ruins.

"You should probably go home and get some things." Tsunade said. "I'm assuming that you aren't going to let Sasuke go anywhere alone."

"Your damn right about that." Itachi said. "He's already losing his family as it is, he doesn't deserve to lose anything else. I just don't want to face my parents knowing that they could so easily choose to end Sasuke's life over something so stupid."

"Sasuke's lucky to have a brother like you." Tsunade said.

"If I was a good brother, I would have been able to prevent this from happening." Itachi said, climbing out of the bed, and looking over at Sasuke. His heart still pounded and ached with the knowledge that he had come really damn close to losing Sasuke.

"You done everything in your power, which is more than your mother done." Tsunade said. "And that's all anyone in your situation can do."

"Maybe." Itachi said. "I still don't want to face them. How could they ever think that killing someone because of their sexuality was a good idea? That makes them as bad as Hitler."

"True enough, I suppose you should probably get going though so that we can put this plan into action. We want think to think that he's truly gone, we'll have to present them with the evidence that he is." Tsunade said. "We can't do if we're still here talking."

"I don't ever want him left alone with those people ever again." Itachi said. "It makes my skin crawl just thinking about it."

"After this you won't have to worry." Tsunade said. "Unless he puts two and two together and figures it out."

"As long as Sasuke isn't under his roof, it shouldn't be any of his damn business." Itachi snarled, before bending down and pressing his lips to Sasuke's forehead again. "I'll see you soon little brother, I can promise you that." Itachi wasn't sure about staying with Tsunade very long, but he could be grateful that the doctor had offered them a place to stay. He just wasn't sure that Sasuke and Naruto were going to get along very well, Kami help Tsunade and him if the two of them didn't get along. Itachi was sure they would all pay the price for putting the two pf them together. He supposed that he should be grateful that they had a place to put their heads for the time being.

"I hope Naruto and Sasuke get along." Itachi said as he turned and headed for the door. "Because Sasuke can be a prick to anyone that he doesn't like."

"Naruto can handle himself. If he doesn't like Sasuke, he'll make Sasuke's life hell." Tsunade replied.

"Why doesn't Naruto stay with his parents and his brother?" Itachi wondered.

"Naruto's currently in jail so he won't be home for a few more weeks, but Minato thinks that he's too much trouble to deal with and he can't focus on his job and Naruto at the same time."

"Sounds like he's an asshole, if he can't take care of his kids, he shouldn't have had any." Itachi muttered.

"He has an easy time with Kurama." Tsunade replied. "I'm sure that he thought Naruto would be just as easy going as his brother. He just didn't expect for Naruto to go through what he did."

"I'm wondering what could have happened to change him so drastically." Itachi muttered.

"It's his story to share but considering the way his father has made him feel about the situation, I wouldn't expect him to say anything." Tsunade replied. "Let's just say that his father should be shot, for not doing enough for Naruto." Itachi sighed and looked back at Sasuke, he really hoped that this plan of Tsunade's worked, because if it didn't, Itachi feared that Fugaku would come back and really end Sasuke's life. Itachi couldn't allow that to happen no matter what.

"I love you little brother." Itachi murmured. "And I'll fight like hell to keep you with me."

When Itachi returned home, his parents were sitting at the dinner table, quietly talking. Itachi stopped and stared wondering if they were discussing how to further destroy his life, because ridding themselves of Sasuke had been one sure way to do just that. They should have known that it would kill Itachi to have to let his little brother go.

"Where have you been?" Fugaku asked. "It's been hours."

"I was saying goodbye to my little brother." Itachi said, "and I'm sorry that it was such an easy decision for you to let him go, but it wasn't for me. Because no matter what Sasuke was or was not, I loved him more than life itself."

"Someone like him didn't deserve to be loved." Fugaku said. "Homosexuals deserve to die in the most painful way possible. He's lucky we were kind enough to put him to sleep like a dog." Itachi stared at his father, hatred filling him. He wanted nothing more than to shake some sense into his father, but he doubted he would ever get his point across. That even if Sasuke was gay, he deserved the same love and respect that everyone else got. Where did his father think that gay people didn't deserve the same rights as everyone else? How long had his father been this homophobic asshole? Would he ever be able to change his mind and learn to accept Sasuke? Itachi doubted it, which meant that Itachi would never be able to bring Sasuke home again. His heart broke for his little brother, he didn't deserve to have to lose everything at once, but he didn't deserve a father or mother like the ones that he had either. Itachi hoped that Tsunade would be able to love Sasuke like a mother could because Sasuke deserved that much.

"How can you say that?" Itachi asked. "Sasuke's your son, and you sentenced him to death because you think it's going to affect your reputation. Open your eyes, people are coming out all the time and their families aren't affected."

"Those families aren't politicians either." Fugaku replied. "They don't have as much to lose as your mother and I do."

"Your right, you're going to lose everything because you ordered for your son to be murdered." Itachi said, clenching his hands tightly into fists. He didn't think it was possible to be as angry with his father as he was right then. How could Fugaku think that there wasn't anything wrong with his way of thinking?

"I didn't do anything wrong." Fugaku replied. "So, I can't be punished."

"You committed a crime by having Sasuke injected with the drug that would stop his heart. That's the same as murder." Itachi replied. "Whether he was gay or not, has no standing on choosing to end someone's life. That didn't give you the right to play God and decide that he didn't deserve to live."

"I don't know why you are defending that piece of shit." Fugaku said. "Your reputation would have been ruined as well."

"I don't care about my reputation." Itachi replied. "I care that I treat people as well as I possibly can." Fugaku shook his head. His oldest son amazed him; he didn't understand how Itachi couldn't understand how wrong it was for Sasuke to be gay.

"One day you're going to regret making the decisions that you have regarding Sasuke. It might not be now, but you'll think back about what you done, and you'll feel bad for ending his life so soon." Itachi told him before starting down the hall, feeling sick from that small conversation. Sasuke deserved much better than what he'd gotten. Itachi was determined that he was going to give Sasuke the life that he deserved one way or the other.

Entering his room, Itachi grabbed his backpack from the corner of the room, and the duffle bag that was sitting beside it. He wasn't staying here with them; it would only be a matter of time before they decided that they didn't like something about him and decided to fix it. He wasn't going to give them that chance, he was going to disappear for the foreseeable future.

"Where do you think you're going?" a harsh voice asked a few minutes later from the doorway.

"Somewhere far away from here, and from you." Itachi said. "I don't think it's possible to be around you and remember what you could so easily do to your own son. What's to stop you from deciding to do the same thing to me?"

"Your brother's still alive, isn't he?" Fugaku asked coldly. "I don't know how, but the little bastard is still alive, after we expressed our wishes to have him killed."

"He's gone that's all that you need to know." Itachi replied, wondering how Fugaku had figured it out so quickly. He wasn't sure how he was going to get out of this mess now, he didn't know how he would be able to keep Fugaku from figuring out where Sasuke was staying.

"Where is he?" Fugaku asked, growing irritated with his oldest son.

"His body is in the morgue if you don't believe me." Itachi said. "He was moved there just a little while ago."

"That doesn't mean that he's dead." Fugaku replied. "I'm sure the doctors would have found some sort of drug to make it look like he was dead."

"Considering it's a crime to euthanize anyone for their preferences, of course they did." Itachi snapped. "And they informed the law of your attempt at murdering your own son."

"When I find him, and I will, he's going to die the most painful death that I can give him. After I have him gangraped until he's paralyzed. See if he likes dick then." Fugaku snarled. Without thinking about it, Itachi reached into his pocket and pulled out his knife, all he could think about was keeping Sasuke safe. He leaped forward, and slammed his knife into his father's throat, feeling the warm blood flow over his hands, Itachi stared down at his father.

"I won't let you harm him; he deserves so much better than you." Itachi said, watching as his father's body dropped to the floor, and the life slowly bleed out of him.

"What did you just do?" A panicked voice asked and Itachi barely noticed his mother dropping to her knees beside her husband. He didn't care if he went to jail, he had just ensured that Sasuke's life would be a little easier. He wouldn't have to always look over his shoulder, believing that his father was out to get him.

"I protected Sasuke." Itachi replied. "And ensured that that monster could never hurt him."

"He's dead, we watched that drug stop his heart." Mikoto said, tears filling her eyes as she watched her husband's chest stop moving.

"He wasn't as dead as you thought he was." Itachi replied. "You'll be going to jail for attempting to murder him."

"And you'll go to jail for killing your father." Mikoto said. "I'll make sure of it."

"As long as Sasuke gets to live, I don't care what happens to me." Itachi replied. "He deserved better than to be put to sleep like a dog because he was gay. I don't know why either of you even deemed that an acceptable decision. You should have just loved him the way he was."

"It's impossible to love someone like him. He'll never be loved!" Mikoto cried out as she leaned forward and pulled Fugaku's lifeless head onto her lap. "No one is ever going to love that faggot, the sooner he accepts that the better off he'll be. I hope someone beats until he's dead."

"Why shouldn't I take your life?" Itachi asked. "Why should you be allowed to hope for something like that. Sasuke was innocent, I doubt he even really fully understood the reality of his situation, and how difficult things are going to be for him."

"I'm your mother, that's why." Mikoto said, even as her fingers were dialing the police.

"You're Sasuke's mother to, but you so easily decided that his life didn't mean anything." Itachi pointed out, closing his eyes. He needed to get back to the hospital, to be there when Sasuke opened his eyes. He didn't his brother to think that he was going to abandon him just like the rest of the family had.

"Shisui, Itachi killed his father." Itachi heard Mikoto say into the phone. "His father confronted him about Sasuke that's why." Itachi shook his head, he didn't want to hear what his cousin was thinking right then, but Shisui would find out that his Uncle was the biggest prick on the planet and deserved what he got. Itachi didn't know why, but he couldn't bring himself to move from the spot he stood above his father. He was glad the bastard was dead, now maybe his mother would learn that she couldn't go around treating people the way that she did. She wasn't above the law; she would pay for the part she'd had in trying to attempt to murder Sasuke.

"The sad part about all of this is." Itachi said several minutes later as his hands were being pulled behind his back and the handcuffs placed around his wrists. "Sasuke would still love you guys, even though you don't deserve it."

"What are you talking about Itachi?" Shisui asked, still shocked to find his Uncle lying lifelessly on the floor, his aunt sobbing over him.

"Both her and Father tried to have Sasuke murdered at the hospital." Itachi told Shisui.

"Why was Sasuke in the hospital to begin with?" Shisui asked.

"Because Father put him there, because he discovered that Sasuke was masturbating to gay porn." Itachi answered. "They both decided that he should die for it."

"Is that right?" Shisui asked Mikoto, she nodded.

"No one can love someone like that. He deserved to die for the shame that he was bringing this family." Mikoto said. "He could have been better off if Itachi and the doctors had allowed him to die, it wasn't an inhumane way to die, he would have gone to sleep and never woken up again."

"He deserved to find someone that would love him." Itachi told her. "You didn't have the right to decide that he couldn't be loved, you're not the judge of that."

"Arrest her." Shisui told his partner, Deidara. "We're going to find out exactly what's going on here." If she and Fugaku really did try to have Sasuke murdered, Shisui couldn't blame Itachi for being upset about it, but that didn't mean that Itachi had the right to murder his father for what he done.

"Where is Sasuke now?" Shisui asked Itachi.

"Right now, his body is in the morgue, he was given a drug that slowed his heart and his breathing enough to make it look like he was dead." Itachi replied. "Even if I have to go to jail, I want to make sure that Sasuke is taken care of. Due to the severity of his head injury, he's now completely deaf." Shisui frowned, Sasuke would have had to take a hard hit in order for that to happen.

"I'll make sure that he's placed in a good home, until you can get released." Shisui replied.

"I would rather that he stays with Tsunade Sannin if at all possible." Itachi told him as Shisui started walking him out of the room.

"I don't know that Naruto would handle that very well." Shisui replied. "We both know that he's a very angry kid, I don't think having him around Sasuke, who's temperamental under the best of circumstances is a good idea."

"I'm thinking that they might be able to help each other." Itachi said. "I don't know what's going on with Naruto, but something tells me that Sasuke can help him. Naruto deserves to be given another chance don't you think? Something's happened to him, something out of his control, I'm thinking that maybe Sasuke will be able to get it out of him."

"I don't know, I'll take with Tsunade and see what we can work out." Shisui promised. He would do just that, he would make sure that Sasuke ended up somewhere that he would end up being taken care of.

"You don't have to worry about Naruto right now anyways, he's still going to be in jail himself for the next few weeks." Itachi said. "So, by the time he's out, Sasuke should be fairly comfortable where he is at.

"He could have stayed with you, if you hadn't done what you done to your father. Even though I'm sure the judge will be understanding of your position, you're still looking at some jail time." Shisui said, as he opened the patrol car door and gently shoved Itachi forward.

"I don't care." Itachi murmured. "I done what I needed to do in order to protect Sasuke. That stupid man can't plan to harm Sasuke anymore."

"Sasuke could have used your help with his current condition." Shisui said. "You could have been there for him."

"I'm sorry that I'm not going to be there for him, but I'm not sorry that I took out the one that would only continue to seek to steal his life." Itachi replied as Shisui shut the door. Shisui shook his head, he didn't know how things had ended up like this, but he felt sorry for Itachi, and more so for Sasuke, who was losing everything that he'd ever cared about. He just hoped that wherever Sasuke ended up, he'd be with someone that would treat him right, and love him the way that he deserved to be loved.

Next thing to do on his to do list though, would be to call Tsunade and get her thoughts on what had gone down. Shisui would make sure that Itachi didn't have to serve too much time, especially if what Itachi said was true about Mikoto and Fugaku trying to end Sasuke's life. If that was the case, Sasuke's mother was likely to face more time than Itachi. At least Shisui hoped that would be the case.

A few hours later, Tsunade was watching as the still unconscious Sasuke was loaded into the back of a van. Like she'd discussed with Itachi, Sasuke would be taken to Tsunade's house, until Itachi could find a proper place for the two of them. Tsunade kind of hoped that would take a long while because she had the feeling that Sasuke might be able to get through to Naruto and be the friend that Naruto so desperately needed. Maybe he could get Naruto to talk about what had happened to him that made his personality change so quickly.

"I'll be back in a little while." Tsunade told a nurse as she headed for the exit. She wanted to be home to get Sasuke settled in, he would probably be left feeling confused about what was going on from the remnants of the drugs that he had been given. Heading out the exit, Tsunade headed towards her car, she was grateful that she lived less than five minutes away, it wouldn't take her long to get Sasuke settled in, she just hoped that Itachi would be able to meet her there quickly. She didn't want Sasuke to wake up and panic because his brother wasn't there for him.

Climbing into her car, she slammed the door behind her, and stuck her key in the ignition, since she lived so close to the hospital, she didn't bother putting her seatbelt on. Backing out of her parking spot she hit the gas and moved out of parking garage quickly and turned onto the road that would take her to her home.

Three minutes later she was pulling into the driveway of a two-story house. Parking at the top, Tsunade shut her car off and got out. The van that had brought Sasuke to her home was parked right in front of the porch and the paramedics were quickly unloading him, as she approached the stretcher that Sasuke was on. She could see that Sasuke's eyes were open, and there were tears running down his face. She got the feeling that he'd been calling out for his brother, and no one had been there to answer that call.

"I'm sorry sweetheart," Tsunade murmured as she reached out and brushed Sasuke's hair out of his face. "Itachi's going to be coming soon, he's not going to abandon you like your mother and father." She still couldn't believe that they'd had the nerve to pull something like that, she really did hope that they spent some time in jail for it.

"Take him to the bedroom down the hall." Tsunade told the medics as her phone rang. "I'll finish setting his room up later, but he'll probably want to get some more rest." Tsunade was worried, Itachi was supposed to have been here already, so why wasn't he? He knew that Sasuke was going to have a hard time coming out from the drugs that he'd been given, he needed Itachi to be there for him. Even if he couldn't hear Itachi speak, Itachi's presence could still bring Sasuke some comfort.

"Hello?" Tsunade asked placing her phone against her ear.

"Tsunade, this is Shisui Uchiha." Shisui said. "I was informed that Sasuke Uchiha was in your care."

"He is." Tsunade replied. "His parents tried to have him killed. I don't suppose you would know where Itachi is do you. He was supposed to meet me at my house."

"I just arrested him for the murder of his father." Shisui replied. "But considering what I've been told, he may not have to serve too much jail time."

"He really killed his father?" Tsunade asked sounding stunned. That had been the last thing she'd expected to be told.

"Yes," Shisui replied. "I don't think it was something that he planned to do, but something that just happened."

"You're going to want to put Sasuke in a different home, than aren't you?" Tsunade asked. "I don't want him to go anywhere, he can stay with me until this situation gets worked out."

"I'll see if I can make that happen." Shisui said. "Don't let Sasuke know about what happened to his brother. That's the last thing that he needs to deal with."

"He's going to be confused as to why Itachi isn't here." Tsunade said. "He needs to be told something about why Itachi disappeared."

"I know." Shisui said. "He just doesn't need to know the lengths that Itachi went too in order to protect him."

"I'll think of something." Tsunade said. "I've got to go, I've got to get him settled in for the night, he's probably feeling a little sick from the drugs that he was given."

"I'll let you know what's going to be done about Itachi." Shisui said, and Tsunade hit end call, she couldn't imagine how Itachi must be feeling right then. Taking his parents life in order to protect his little brother, because Tsunade was absolutely positive that's what Itachi had been doing. Fugaku must have said something that had set Itachi off, he wouldn't have just killed him for no reason.

Heading down the hall, she entered the bedroom that she'd set aside for Sasuke. The paramedics had already moved him from the gurney and onto the bed, but Sasuke lay there looking more miserable than she'd ever seen anyone look.

"It's going to be okay." Tsunade typed on her phone. "I know it may not look like it right now, but things are working out the way that they are supposed to." She handed the phone over for him to read, and he frowned.

"Where's my brother? Why do I feel so sick?" Sasuke asked.

"Your brother is caught up in something at the moment and it might take him a little while to get free, but he's going to be here for you. As for feeling sick it's a side effect of the drugs that you were given to make it look like you had died." Tsunade typed before letting Sasuke read it.

"I want to go to sleep but I'm scared." Sasuke admitted. "I want Itachi, he knows how to fix everything."

"He'd be here if he could. But I promise that he'll be back soon, he doesn't want to be away from you right now either." Tsunade typed. She really hoped that Sasuke would be able to sleep without nightmares tonight. Tears filled Sasuke's eyes as he read her response, he didn't understand why Itachi wasn't with him, all he knew was that he needed his brother.

"I want Itachi." Sasuke mumbled. Tsunade frowned and reached out and touched Sasuke's shoulder. She couldn't provide the same comfort that Itachi could, but that didn't mean she couldn't try. She was determined that things were going to get better for Sasuke, no matter how hard she had to work to get it done.

If you want more let me know. Liz


	4. Chapter 4

Silent Lucidity

Chapter 4

Sasuke opened his eyes to find the woman that had been at the hospital, sleeping in the chair beside him. He didn't know exactly where he was, but he figured that she had found a way to trick his parent's into believing that he was dead. Sasuke frowned, noticing that Itachi still wasn't here. Which made Sasuke wonder exactly where his older brother was. If Itachi didn't care about Sasuke's sexuality, then, where was he? Shouldn't he be here with him? Was everyone going to hate him because he was gay? Sasuke more than ever wished he'd never even watched that porn video, then his father wouldn't have walked in on him doing what he was doing. He'd still have a family, and he'd still have his hearing, and he wouldn't be stuck in a place that wasn't his home.

Sighing, Sasuke stretched on the bed, he was getting stiff from sitting so long, but he didn't know the house he was at, so he didn't where anything was. Pushing the blankets back, Sasuke threw his legs over the side of the bed and walked across the room to stand in front of the window. His heart was aching, and he wished desperately that Itachi was there with him. He needed his brother; he was worried that Itachi had done something that would take him away from Sasuke. If that was the case, what was Sasuke supposed to do? He didn't want to end up in a place where he didn't know anyone. He deserved to have Itachi by his side, his brother didn't need any more trouble than Sasuke had already caused. Maybe Itachi would be better off if Sasuke ended things now. He wouldn't have to put up with all of the drama that being around Sasuke brought. If Sasuke didn't exist perhaps Itachi could have the peaceful life that he deserved. Still, tears formed in Sasuke's eyes at the thought of his older brother going through life alone. Sure, he had friends, Naruto's older brother Kurama was one of them, but considering what that family was dealing with, Kurama wouldn't be able to be much help to Itachi.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Sasuke turned and found Tsunade standing beside him with a worried expression on her face. Sasuke sighed and turned back to the window, he'd been so lost in thought about Itachi that he hadn't really been paying attention to the scenery outside.

"I know things are looking pretty grim for you right now." Tsunade typed, tapping Sasuke on the shoulder so that he could the message. "Itachi wouldn't want you to be worrying about him right now."

"It's my fault that he's in whatever position that he's in right now." Sasuke said. He didn't want Itachi to be in trouble, but something told him that he wouldn't be seeing his older brother for a little while. Which made this current situation even more hellish.

"Come on Sasuke, you don't need to be out of bed." Tsunade typed. "you may not feel like it right now, but you did have surgery on your brain." Sasuke glanced down at the phone but returned his attention to the window. He didn't care if he had surgery or not, he just wanted his older brother to be with him again. He wasn't going to move from this spot until Itachi was with him safely.

"Itachi's probably going to be in jail for a little while." Tsunade typed, handing the phone back to Sasuke who quickly read the message and turned to stare at her with wide eyes.

"What did he do?" Sasuke asked, fearing that his older brother had gone overboard.

"He killed your father." Tsunade admitted. "Apparently your father wasn't as fooled by your fake death as we thought he was, and he said something that sat Itachi off. Your cousin Shisui seems to think that Itachi might not have to serve much jail time considering that they had been trying to kill you." Tears welled in Sasuke's eyes; he didn't want to Itachi to have to go to jail because of him. He might as well end his life before things went got even worse for Itachi.

"He was trying to protect you." Tsunade typed quickly. "There wasn't anything that he wouldn't do for you. You should have seen him when he thought the drug had really killed you. He was ready to jump in the grave with you. Both of you deserve to live a full life, regardless of whether your gay or straight." Sasuke shook his head, his brother didn't deserve to go to jail, he shouldn't have felt the need to go so far as to kill their father.

"He shouldn't have had to kill our father; he was just angry that I was gay." Sasuke said. "Father didn't understand how I could like other guys, he was right to be angry. If word got out about me, I would destroy our families reputation."

"You have the right to be happy too." Tsunade typed. "You shouldn't have been made to feel like your own happiness didn't matter. Because it does, a good family would have found a way to support you for being who you are, instead of deciding that you don't get to live just because you happen to like the same sex as yourself." Sasuke read the message, he appreciated the effort that Tsunade was making, but she didn't seem to understand that Sasuke needed his brother, more than he needed life. Itachi didn't deserve to be in jail because of him.

"I know you need your big brother right now," Tsunade typed, "especially with what your facing, I'm going to do everything in my power to ensure that you get to see him as much as possible." Sasuke didn't know how she planned on making that happen, but he would take every opportunity to be with his brother that he could get. Sasuke nodded, and turned away from the window and started going back towards the bed, he was starting to feel a little tired, but he was afraid that he was going to have nightmares, not only of his father's attacking him, but he was afraid of dreaming of Itachi being sentenced to death for what he'd done.

Laying back down on the bed, Sasuke turned over onto his side, and pulled his knees up to his chest, and wrapping his arms around his legs. He wanted his brother beside him now more than ever. He didn't know what was going to happen to him, and that scared the life out of him. He would likely end up in a home where he would be abused until the day he died, because they didn't like gay people. Why couldn't people just accept him for who he was? It wasn't fair that he was going to have to spend his life suffering because no one would just accept him. Would he end up having to kill himself out so that Itachi wouldn't have to live with the shame of having someone like him for a brother.

"I don't know what you're thinking." Tsunade typed on her phone. "But I know that it's wrong. I know your probably worried about where you'll end up until Itachi is released. I'm going to try and keep you right here with me and Naruto when he gets released." Sasuke frowned, Naruto would probably hate him just as much as everyone else did.

"He's going to hate me just because I'm gay." Sasuke said.

"We'll keep that part to ourselves until you feel like he's ready to know." Tsunade typed. "But I can promise you that he'll come to accept you, no matter what. Your being gay isn't going to bother him."

"I hope not." Sasuke mumbled. "But it would be kind of hard for him not to hate me for it, everyone else does."

"They don't know you; they don't know how pure of heart you are." Tsunade typed. "That's their problem." Sasuke shrugged, he didn't care, he just wanted his brother to be there, and since Itachi probably wouldn't be there for a while, Sasuke was going to have to find a way to get through.

"I'll be back." Tsunade typed. "Don't worry too much, this situation is going to work itself out. I just know it." And even if it didn't Tsunade would make sure that Sasuke stayed with her and Naruto, and Jiriaya until Itachi was able to find them a place to live.

Exiting the room, Tsunade headed down the hall towards the door where she heard the knocking coming from. Opening the door, she found Shisui and Obito standing on her porch.

"Can we see Sasuke?" Shisui asked. He knew that Sasuke would be wanting to see his brother, but for now it would do him good to see some of his family. The parts that didn't give a damn whether Sasuke was gay or not.

"If I'm being honest, he could probably do with seeing that you guys support him. He's scared and he wants Itachi." Tsunade said, as she stepped aside to allow the two men to enter the house. "Keep in mind that he can't hear you, you'll have to use your phone to write to him or find some paper."

"Exactly how did he come to be deaf?" Obito asked, like Shisui he was also on the police force, and he wasn't too pleased to find out that Fugaku had attacked Sasuke the way that he had.

"Fugaku done something that made him hit his head so hard that not only did it cause him to lose his hearing, but it gave him a brain bleed as well." Tsunade replied.

"I can understand Itachi's reaction, he's always been really protective over Sasuke." Obito said. "Why exactly did Fugaku feel the need to attack him?"

"Because he walked in on Sasuke masturbating to gay porn and calling out one of his classmates names." Tsunade replied. "Which is no reason to lay a hand on your child."

"I agree." Obito scowled. He almost wanted to bring Fugaku back so that he could knock some sense into the man himself. If Fugaku knew just how many gays there were in the Uchiha clan, he would probably disown his clan.

"Maybe Sasuke shouldn't have been watching gay porn and then none of this would have happened. He would be just fine, and Itachi wouldn't be in jail." Shisui said. He knew it sounded like he was blaming Sasuke for everything, and he sort of was. He couldn't help but be bitter over his Uncles death, and his cousin's current jail situation.

"Sasuke can't help being who he is." Obito said. "His father never should have laid a hand on him, even if he is gay."

"And I agree." Shisui replied. "I'm just thinking that Itachi shouldn't have to be spending any time in jail. He wouldn't be if Sasuke had stayed quiet."

"He was quiet, none of us knew that he was even gay." Obito told him. "If it wasn't for his father invading his son's privacy. Sasuke had every right to do what he wanted behind closed doors. Kami, knows Fugaku probably had his own secrets that he didn't want found out."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Shisui asked, frowning at his cousin. Did Obito know something about Fugaku that no one else knew?

"Just that everyone has things that they don't want to discuss. I don't mean that he's has some sort crime that he's trying to keep hidden." Obito said. "But we all have things that we don't want to talk about."

"True enough." Shisui replied. "I do feel sorry for Sasuke, because despite everything that's happened, he's the one that has lost the most. He's lost his family, and any respect from his friends."

"Something tells me that Sasuke has never really cared about that." Obito said, as he stepped into the house. He was getting tired of the conversation, and he wanted to see how Sasuke was holding up.

"So, are you just going to keep Sasuke here until Itachi is out of jail?" Shisui asked. Technically, Sasuke should have gone to someone in the Uchiha Clan, but considering the situation, it was probably best that Tsunade kept him for the time being.

"I'm going to try to." Tsunade replied as she led the two men down the hall towards the where Sasuke was. "I understand if someone in the clan wants to take him home though."

"Considering the situation, that's probably not a good idea." Obito said. "Even though there are several gay people in the clan, they're not openly gay. It wouldn't be a good situation for him."

"He deserves to be happy, no matter what anyone thinks of him." Tsunade said. "He shouldn't be shunned for feeling the way that he does."

"I agree, and maybe over time he can work to change what people think." Obito said. "Because he's a good kid, with a huge heart that doesn't deserve to be hurt."

Upon entering the room, the group found Sasuke still curled up in a small ball on the bed, tears streaming down his face. Tsunade's heart bled for the teen, knowing that he was scared and wanted his older brother more than anything. Nothing she done would be able to bring Itachi back for him, only the law could do that. She hoped that the law would side with Itachi so that he could be with Sasuke again.

"Hey, kid." Obito typed on his phone, before crossing the floor and sitting on the edge of the bed, next to where Sasuke was lying. Obito held the phone out for Sasuke to read, Sasuke sat up and threw his arms around Obito in a tight tug. Obito could feel Sasuke's tears against his neck. He felt bad that Sasuke was in this situation, he didn't deserve to be treated like he was pariah for feeling the way he did.

"Am I going to stay here or go home with someone from the clan?" Sasuke asked, pulling away from Obito.

"Unfortunately, it looks like you're going to be staying with Tsunade for a little while." Obito typed out. "We're looking into seeing if anyone from our clan will take you, but because of what's going on, no one really wants too."

"They won't take me because I'm gay." Sasuke said. "It has nothing to do with what Itachi done to my father, and everything to do with my sexuality."

"I know it's not fair." Obito typed. "and I promise I'm going to do everything in my power to get you into a home where you're going to be safe." Sasuke snorted as he read the message.

"That's not going to happen, I might as well kill myself because everyone's going to hate me." Sasuke said and Obito shook his head and reached out and took the phone from Sasuke.

"There's more gay people in the clan than you know but they're not very willing to come out of the closet right yet." Obito typed.

"Which is why I'm going to be placed somewhere where I don't know anyone." Sasuke muttered. Obito shook his head.

"Tsunade is trying her hardest to keep you here." Obito typed. "She knows that you aren't going to feel very comfortable anywhere else. She also believes that you and Naruto could end up being good friends."

"Why doesn't he live with his parents? I know their still alive." Sasuke asked.

"You know that Naruto's been through some sort of trauma that's making him have some behavior problems." Obito typed and Sasuke nodded as he read the message. "Minato, Naruto's father doesn't want to deal with them, so he shipped Naruto off to his grandparents." Sasuke scowled, it sounded like Naruto's parents were even bigger dicks than his own were.

"Did he not try to find out why Naruto was acting the way he was?" Sasuke asked and Obito shrugged.

"Probably not." Obito typed. "He doesn't seem to take too much interest in what happens in his children's lives." Sasuke shook his head, he didn't think that he would ever understand how a parent couldn't care about what happened to their children. Sasuke was nervous about meeting Naruto, because he knew the other kid was so angry, but Sasuke kind of hoped that they could become good friends, because Sasuke needed some friends. He didn't want to go to school and find out that Neji had heard about Sasuke calling out his name when he came. Sasuke was certain that Neji would be pretty disgusted with him considering how influential Neij's own family was. It certainly didn't seem like happiness was in the cards for Sasuke, at least not in his own eyes anyways. He sighed, and rubbed at his eyes, he felt like with the number of tears that he'd shed that he was the weakest Uchiha that ever lived. What other Uchiha needed their brother as much as he needed Itachi? Would the rest of his clan hate him forever for not being normal like them? He really hoped not, but he couldn't see them being too pleased with him. Perhaps it was better off if he stayed with Tsunade. At least then he knew that she wouldn't be out to hurt him.

"I know this situation is difficult for you." Obito typed. "But I promise, Shisui and I are going to try our hardest to get Itachi back to you. I know that you depend on him more than anyone else." Sasuke nodded and glanced over at Shisui who remained standing in the door, quietly watching him.

"I think Shisui is pissed at me." Sasuke said quietly. "he hasn't said a word since he got in here." Obito glanced over at Shisui and noticed that the other man seemed to refuse to come any further inside of the room. Obito frowned, Shisui's behavior was curious, Obito knew that Shisui had wanted to check up on Sasuke, but clearly, he wasn't taking too much interest in the teen. Obito frowned, Shisui had been slightly concerned about Sasuke, but had been more worried about Itachi. Obito knew that Shisui and Itachi were best friends, but that didn't mean that Shisui had to act like this towards Sasuke.

"I don't know what's going on with him." Obito wrote. "But he's worried about you too, he just has a lot of things on his mind right now." Sasuke shook his head, he didn't believe that for a minute. He knew how close Shisui and Itachi were, and until Itachi was released from jail he would probably be hating Sasuke.

"I don't know why he bothered coming, I know he thinks I'm responsible for Itachi ending up in jail, and I guess I am because if I hadn't been doing what I had been, none of this would have happened." Sasuke muttered.

"That doesn't mean that you deserve to be treated like shit." Obito typed. "I promise though things are going to look up for you." Sasuke shrugged, he didn't really believe that. If things worked out the way they would supposed to, he wouldn't be in this position right now.

"I don't want Itachi to be hurt." Sasuke mumbled, he knew his voice probably sounded different to Obito, and that was due to the fact that Sasuke was completely deaf. "He doesn't deserve to be hurt for my own actions." Obito shook his head. He worried that Sasuke was going to end up doing something drastic, like either allowing someone to badly hurt him, or he would end up taking his own life to pay for what Itachi was going through. Obito didn't want to see that happen, he wanted Sasuke to find the happiness that he deserved.

"I want you to promise me one thing." Obito typed. "Don't hurt yourself or let someone else hurt you because you think you deserve it. That's not the case, you deserve to be happy and healthy same as anyone else." Sasuke shrugged, he wasn't going to make any promises that he couldn't keep. It would be better for everyone else if he didn't exist, he could already tell that's what Shisui was thinking. He just didn't think it would be a wise decision to tell Obito that he was thinking that.

"I've got to go, but I'll be by to see you as often as I can, and I'll make sure that you get to see Itachi as much as possible." Obito typed, and Sasuke nodded, he wasn't sure how Obito was going to handle that promise, but Sasuke would wait to see how other people reacted to his news before he done anything drastic.

"What about mother?" Sasuke asked suddenly. "What happened to her?"

"She's going to be in jail for her part in plotting to have you killed." Obito typed. "She'll probably face a longer jail sentence than Itachi, since it was premediated."

"If I was normal none of this would be happening." Sasuke said, he couldn't stop the tears from filling his eyes again. He hated this with every fiber of his being, his loved ones were suffering because he was a coward and couldn't come clean about what sex that he liked. Maybe his parents had been right in trying to have him killed, no one would have to suffer like this if he was dead.

"Don't think like that. If it's not this situation it would be something else that your father would have been unhappy about." Obito typed. "You're not completely at fault here, and I know that if something ever happened to you that your brother and I would grieve, so please don't do anything to take yourself away from us." Obito reached out and pulled Sasuke in for another hug, his heart hurt for the younger teen and the situation that he was facing now. Now that Obito knew where Sasuke's mind was, he truly worried that Sasuke would end up taking things too far.

"I've got to go, but I promise, I'm going to be here for you as much as possible." Obito typed and Sasuke nodded after reading the message. He was glad that he had someone like Obito, but he really just wanted his brother. Sasuke sighed as he watched Obito exit the room, followed by Shisui. Sasuke didn't understand why Shisui has bothered showing up if he wasn't going to bother speaking to him. He supposed Shisui was blaming him for what was going on with Itachi. He was right to do that, because it was Sasuke's fault, Sasuke would probably pay the price for his decision for a long time. Sighing, Sasuke lay back on his bed, and stared up at the ceiling. He didn't see nor hear the door to his room being thrown open. It was only when an angry blonde haired, blue eyed kid was standing over him that he realized there was even a person there.

Thanks for reading and reviewing! Liz


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